Starr Completes Acquisition of IQUW Group
Starr, a global investment and insurance organization, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of IQUW Group, creating a broader, more diversified specialty (re)insurance platform with enhanced capabilities across the London market, Bermuda and UK retail motor.
The combined Starr business now serves more clients and brokers in more specialist classes and market segments globally. With IQUW Group, Starr has strengthened its position in the London market and established its managing agency as the ninth-largest at Lloyd’s. Importantly, Starr will continue to operate with a strong emphasis on underwriting expertise and best-in-class broker and client experience and service. Clients and brokers will benefit from a broader product offering, quick decision-making, greater capital strength and expanded global reach.
Starr’s reinsurance capability is also significantly enhanced following this transaction. IQUW Re Bermuda and IQUW’s London reinsurance business will now trade as Starr Re, writing the Company’s inward reinsurance and strengthening its ability to offer a diversified portfolio of products across geographies and lines of business. Starr Re will benefit from Starr’s capital strength, which will enable thoughtful capital deployment across market cycles and position the Group to better serve clients across the (re)insurance market.
In 2025, IQUW Group wrote $1.88 billion of GWP, which is comprised of business written by IQUW (Syndicate 1856), ERS (Syndicate 218), the UK’s largest specialist motor insurer at Lloyd’s, and IQUW Re Bermuda. Syndicate 1856 will be rebranded as Starr and IQUW Re will trade as Starr Re. ERS will continue to trade under its existing brand given its strong and established presence in the UK motor market. There will be no brand change to Starr’s Syndicate 1919.
“The completion of this transaction advances Starr’s strategy to build a global, diversified, best-in-class underwriting business. I am delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Starr,” said Jeff Greenberg, chairman and co-chief executive officer of Starr. “Together, we are a larger, more resilient platform with the scale and expertise to compete and win across global markets and deliver sustainable, long-term growth.”
Steve Blakey, president and chief executive officer of Starr Insurance Holdings, commented: “We are thrilled to be bringing together our talented people and ensuring that our clients and brokers have the same seamless support and access to a broader suite of specialist solutions. As a combined organization, we will remain relentlessly focused on delivering exceptional service for our brokers and clients across all elements of our business.”
Peter Bilsby, who will lead Starr’s international business, said: “The completion of this transaction is a proud moment for everyone who has contributed to building the IQUW Group since its inception. From the outset, our ambition was to create a high-performing, specialist platform defined by great talent and market-leading data and technology. Now, as part of Starr, we can take advantage of being part of a stronger and more diversified global organization.”
The transaction has received all required regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not publicly disclosed.
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About Starr
Starr is the marketing name for the investment business of C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. and the insurance and travel assistance companies of Starr International Company, Inc., and their subsidiaries. Starr is a leading global investment and insurance organization with a presence on six continents. Through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides property, casualty, and accident and health insurance products, as well as a range of specialty coverages, including aviation, marine, energy, and excess casualty insurance. Starr’s insurance company subsidiaries domiciled in the U.S., Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Malta, Singapore, Switzerland, and U.K. each have an A.M. Best rating of “A” (Excellent). Starr’s Lloyd’s syndicates benefit from Lloyd’s Standard & Poor’s rating of “AA-” (Very Strong).
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